http://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot
I've known this guy all my life. I still get a kick out of seeing is name on national sites.
In the same survey, you can see the post-industrial region in general turning very, very red.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010
If Somone Gets me Decent Sledgehammer, I'll Take the Arena Down Myself.
There is an interesting tension, I think, between conservatives and liberals of a nostalgic bent. (E.g., the preservationists and the conservationists, with whom we share etymology. And come to think of it, if the word wasn't all ready taken, I might self-identify as a "preservative.") We would seem to have a lot in common. With our most fundmental instincts, we seek to maintain things. (Ooh! How about "maintenists?") We tend maintain values and institutions; they try to prevent change in the tactile things around us. For that reason, I don't object to preservation and conservation per se, which is why I'm all the more frustrated by institutional nostalgia when it insists on picking battles that are specious, obstructive and downright asinine.
Keep this in mind, please, as I begin to eviscerate the movement to save Mellon Arena, perhaps the ugliest sporting venue in North America. The call it the "igloo" because of its hemispheric shape, but that is being euphemistic. Igloos are natural, and the arena is the apotheosis of dehumanizing urbanism; igloos are colored a pure white, and the arena has deteriorated from a cold silver to a pathetic gray. And not only does this awkward monstrosity blight the cityscape like a lifeless urban pimple, it was designed and built so hastily and carelessly, that its ungainly location is often blamed for the decline of the Hill District, Pittsburgh's once-iconic black neighborhood (--although, as conservatives, we know that the New Deal, the Great Society and the cultural unraveling of the inner city are also major factors). Getting rid of the arena, and fast, would improve the aesthetics of the city, open up a chance at renewal for one of Pittsburgh's most desperate neighborhoods, invigorate the city and county coffers with a much needed multi-millon dollar transaction, and provide the region with a giant, wide open plot of city real estate for development. With these interests aligned, you would think the stupid thing would already be flattened.
Of course not! There are people in this town who actually want to save it. Apparently even the most politically sentimental among us don't have the nerve to suggest that a city of 300,000 people can sustain to two 16,000+ seat arenas, so the nostalgists have resorted to ridiculous suggestions like this. Some of the nostalgists suggest, correctly, that at its inception the "Civic" Arena was a major architectural achievement. Designed to house the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, it was the largest retratable-roof stadium ever conceived or built.
The problem with that argument is this: The symphony moved out after one year and the Pittsburgh Penguins moved in, and shortly thereafter the sporting world was introduced to the Jumbotron. Since the venue was not intended to preserve an ice rink, it was a terrible hockey venue with a terrible ice surface, especially when the Pens played hockey into the summer months. And since the Jumbotron was suspended from the ceiling, the roof never opened again. So, while it was hailed as a triumph on the day the ribbon was cut, history has shown it to be a short-sighted disaster like most of the other brave new venues of the era. (Remember this beautiful craphole?) In a world where Forbes Field can give way to (eventually) PNC Park, any movement to preserve this comparatively worthless arena amounts to either stubbornness or liberal self-promotion.
So what should we do with that real estate? I've got a novel idea: sell it. No meetings, no stipulations, no feasibility studies, no economic impact studies, no environmental impact studies, no community write-in contests. Just sell it to the highest bidder and bank the check. The thing about those heartless developers is that they're pretty good at developing. The person who pays the most for the land probably has the most lucrative idea. This open plot of land is a perfect opportunity to let these people do what they get paid to do for once.
But really, I don't care if they turn it into a park and it never throws off a dime of revenue. Or if they turn it into a parking garage and it's almost as ugly as the thing it replaced. Just lay off the phony sentimentalism; some things need to die in order for others to mature. Schumpeter called in "creative destruction." In the case of the Mellon/Civic Arena, I call it "mercy."
Keep this in mind, please, as I begin to eviscerate the movement to save Mellon Arena, perhaps the ugliest sporting venue in North America. The call it the "igloo" because of its hemispheric shape, but that is being euphemistic. Igloos are natural, and the arena is the apotheosis of dehumanizing urbanism; igloos are colored a pure white, and the arena has deteriorated from a cold silver to a pathetic gray. And not only does this awkward monstrosity blight the cityscape like a lifeless urban pimple, it was designed and built so hastily and carelessly, that its ungainly location is often blamed for the decline of the Hill District, Pittsburgh's once-iconic black neighborhood (--although, as conservatives, we know that the New Deal, the Great Society and the cultural unraveling of the inner city are also major factors). Getting rid of the arena, and fast, would improve the aesthetics of the city, open up a chance at renewal for one of Pittsburgh's most desperate neighborhoods, invigorate the city and county coffers with a much needed multi-millon dollar transaction, and provide the region with a giant, wide open plot of city real estate for development. With these interests aligned, you would think the stupid thing would already be flattened.
Of course not! There are people in this town who actually want to save it. Apparently even the most politically sentimental among us don't have the nerve to suggest that a city of 300,000 people can sustain to two 16,000+ seat arenas, so the nostalgists have resorted to ridiculous suggestions like this. Some of the nostalgists suggest, correctly, that at its inception the "Civic" Arena was a major architectural achievement. Designed to house the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, it was the largest retratable-roof stadium ever conceived or built.
The problem with that argument is this: The symphony moved out after one year and the Pittsburgh Penguins moved in, and shortly thereafter the sporting world was introduced to the Jumbotron. Since the venue was not intended to preserve an ice rink, it was a terrible hockey venue with a terrible ice surface, especially when the Pens played hockey into the summer months. And since the Jumbotron was suspended from the ceiling, the roof never opened again. So, while it was hailed as a triumph on the day the ribbon was cut, history has shown it to be a short-sighted disaster like most of the other brave new venues of the era. (Remember this beautiful craphole?) In a world where Forbes Field can give way to (eventually) PNC Park, any movement to preserve this comparatively worthless arena amounts to either stubbornness or liberal self-promotion.
So what should we do with that real estate? I've got a novel idea: sell it. No meetings, no stipulations, no feasibility studies, no economic impact studies, no environmental impact studies, no community write-in contests. Just sell it to the highest bidder and bank the check. The thing about those heartless developers is that they're pretty good at developing. The person who pays the most for the land probably has the most lucrative idea. This open plot of land is a perfect opportunity to let these people do what they get paid to do for once.
But really, I don't care if they turn it into a park and it never throws off a dime of revenue. Or if they turn it into a parking garage and it's almost as ugly as the thing it replaced. Just lay off the phony sentimentalism; some things need to die in order for others to mature. Schumpeter called in "creative destruction." In the case of the Mellon/Civic Arena, I call it "mercy."
Amateur Hour with Dan Onorato
http://www.alleghenycounty.us/greenfestival/
Who better to tackle Pennsylvania's looming budget deficit than a guy who not only funds this sentimental nonsense, but actually thinks it's a reason to vote for him?
Seeing this guy's name in the national press reminds me of when the worst player on my little league team would get two singles (both of which were really errors) and the coach would put his name in the paper. Or when a twenty-six-year-old neophyte fell back-asswards into the mayor's office and ended up on Letterman.
Who better to tackle Pennsylvania's looming budget deficit than a guy who not only funds this sentimental nonsense, but actually thinks it's a reason to vote for him?
Seeing this guy's name in the national press reminds me of when the worst player on my little league team would get two singles (both of which were really errors) and the coach would put his name in the paper. Or when a twenty-six-year-old neophyte fell back-asswards into the mayor's office and ended up on Letterman.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Parked Revenue
The Boy King is finally starting to get his sea legs. I must say that I'm legitimately pleased with his parking lease plan. (Whoever is holding the crayon for him should be proud.)
Due respect to the small businesses yelping about the effect that higher parking rates will have on their income statements. I still love you guys, and I promise to make it up to you. But we need the money, folks. It's the fault of the Democrats, it's the fault of progressivism, and it's the fault of public-sector unionism. But those dice were cast long ago. Much like the entitlement crisis that the federal government faces, the longer we wait to take our medicine, the worse it's going to taste. To complain that it's not our fault is to give ourselves over to the same immature selfishness and the same zero-sum reasoning that enabled these swollen pensions in the first place.
There are no pleasant options here, and here's why the parking lease is my masochism-of-choice:
Due respect to the small businesses yelping about the effect that higher parking rates will have on their income statements. I still love you guys, and I promise to make it up to you. But we need the money, folks. It's the fault of the Democrats, it's the fault of progressivism, and it's the fault of public-sector unionism. But those dice were cast long ago. Much like the entitlement crisis that the federal government faces, the longer we wait to take our medicine, the worse it's going to taste. To complain that it's not our fault is to give ourselves over to the same immature selfishness and the same zero-sum reasoning that enabled these swollen pensions in the first place.
There are no pleasant options here, and here's why the parking lease is my masochism-of-choice:
- It preserves, and in fact enhances, the free market. In this case, the intersection of supply and demand takes us to an unfortunate place, which is to say higher parking rates. But what kind of reason is that to justify socialized parking? Who are we, Democrats?
- It provides a lump-sum infusion of cash. This is useful, because it ensures the money will be put to its intended use--especially right now, when hostility to profligacy is running so hot. Whenever you promise beaureaucrats $10 million ;er year ad inifinitum, they spend $12 million and misappropriate $3 million.
- There's no one left downtown to punish! To state that higher parking rates will adversely impact retail stores, bars and restaurants in the Golden Triangle suggests that there are retail stores, bars and restaurants in the Golden Triangle. There is no discretionary spending downtown anymore; that's the problem, remember? Anybody who's paying to park downtown right now probably has no choice but to continue to do so. And if the increased rates inspire commuters to throw a few more bucks at the Port Authority, well, that's something we need also.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
"Mickey Mouse Economy"
http://www.cnbc.com/id/38654017
And, you know what? This guy's absolutely right. One thing that conservatives and Rust Belt Democrats can lament upon together, I think, is that America doesn't "make" anything anymore. Wealth just sort of passes through us the way a worm enriches soil.
No state perceives this more starkly, of course, than Pennsylvania. (I know, Michigan, I know. Just let me make my point.) Where we differ is what to do next. The union-Democratic vision for America, to the extent that it differs from a ribald kleptocracy, is one in which the economic dynamics of the early 1960s are held frozen by legislative fiat. Americans would be able to carve out cozy middle-class lives for themselves performing useful but menial jobs and could not be fired. When the cost of living rises, wages would rise to cover it. And nobody would be fired. Nobody.
If you majored in Economics, or took Econ 101, or performed satisfactorily in high school algebra, or have ever balanced your checkbook, or run a lemonade stand, you know that's not possible. So what to do next, really? Well, we're sitting on enough coal and natural gas to make us the engine of the world economy for generations. How about we start there?
And, you know what? This guy's absolutely right. One thing that conservatives and Rust Belt Democrats can lament upon together, I think, is that America doesn't "make" anything anymore. Wealth just sort of passes through us the way a worm enriches soil.
No state perceives this more starkly, of course, than Pennsylvania. (I know, Michigan, I know. Just let me make my point.) Where we differ is what to do next. The union-Democratic vision for America, to the extent that it differs from a ribald kleptocracy, is one in which the economic dynamics of the early 1960s are held frozen by legislative fiat. Americans would be able to carve out cozy middle-class lives for themselves performing useful but menial jobs and could not be fired. When the cost of living rises, wages would rise to cover it. And nobody would be fired. Nobody.
If you majored in Economics, or took Econ 101, or performed satisfactorily in high school algebra, or have ever balanced your checkbook, or run a lemonade stand, you know that's not possible. So what to do next, really? Well, we're sitting on enough coal and natural gas to make us the engine of the world economy for generations. How about we start there?
Today in Media Bias
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0810/40941.html
So here's my takeaway from the story: there were no special or primary elections held on Tuesday, so neither party won anything. A Democrat with somewhere in the 30's won his primary in a swing state, while a Republican with electability problems won a primary in one of American's bluest states.
And Politico calls that a good night? Hot damn, November 3rd is going to be one amusing morning!
So here's my takeaway from the story: there were no special or primary elections held on Tuesday, so neither party won anything. A Democrat with somewhere in the 30's won his primary in a swing state, while a Republican with electability problems won a primary in one of American's bluest states.
And Politico calls that a good night? Hot damn, November 3rd is going to be one amusing morning!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Dan Onorato: Libertarian Crusader
At an appearance in Centre County today, Dan Onorato said this:
“I don’t think you, me or anyone at the local level should have to go and beg Harrisburg for permission to do something within your own county.”
As someone who voted for Senator Maverick, I suppose I can't eviscerate the poor guy for tacking toward the center when the public mood is against his party and he's getting sodomized in the polls. But this guy's killing me with this comment. For seven years he's been hoarding state funds for every single project in the county. And for the past two, he's been using stimulus funds for everything short of filling his gas tank.
“I don’t think you, me or anyone at the local level should have to go and beg Harrisburg for permission to do something within your own county.”
As someone who voted for Senator Maverick, I suppose I can't eviscerate the poor guy for tacking toward the center when the public mood is against his party and he's getting sodomized in the polls. But this guy's killing me with this comment. For seven years he's been hoarding state funds for every single project in the county. And for the past two, he's been using stimulus funds for everything short of filling his gas tank.
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